Oxfam staff looks forward to September.
That month, much-awaited shipment of replenishment supplies for its water and sanitation interventions in conflict-torn Yemen is expected to arrive, bringing tanks, pumps and tools like welding machines. As with fuel, food and medicines, these supplies have become scarce — and may be more difficult to obtain in coming weeks.
A country heavily reliant on outside goods, Yemen imports 90 percent of its food supply. Not only is there insufficient arable land in the country, water is hard to access as well. Further, what little arable land is often used to sow khat, a leafy plant that serves as a stimulant when chewed, instead of food crops because there is greater demand for the former.